Yelp acquired SeatMe last year in order to help more restaurant owners handle online reservations and front-of-house management, and today we’re excited to announce Yelp Reservations, a free tool that allows businesses in the restaurant and nightlife categories to start taking online reservations in minutes!

Business owners can set up the free Yelp Reservations capability through their Yelp Business Owners Account and start filling tables with the millions of people that come to Yelp looking for a great business to try. Consumers can book straight from the Yelp business listing on mobile or desktop and get a text message reminder, as well as the option to cancel or change a reservation by text. A free widget is also available for businesses to add to their own websites to encourage visitors to book a reservation for their restaurant and attract valuable new business.

Yelp already offers the opportunity to book reservations through Yelp SeatMe and OpenTable, but Yelp Reservations is a great option for businesses that aren't big or busy enough yet to need the robust functionality of Yelp SeatMe.

As more restaurants take advantage of this new free tool, expect to see many more options when looking to make an online reservation on Yelp. As of today, this free reservation tool is available to businesses in the restaurant and nightlife categories in the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland, and businesses like Quei Bravi Ragazzi in Encinitas, CA are already using the service.